Hurts Taking One Like This

[YukonRog]

Yeah it appears to be a different transmission than the one that was in there. The list of upgraded items was impressive. At least to me. If I drain it and remove the pan what could I look for?

 

[OR VietVet]

Chunks of metal and friction material and brown fluid instead of the good red fluid.

 

[smcnair]

Take it to a reputable shop and get an estimate for what is wrong. Even if they charge you a small fee it may be worth it to help you decide what you need to do.

 

[YukonRog]

Take it to a reputable shop and get an estimate for what is wrong. Even if they charge you a small fee it may be worth it to help you decide what you need to do.

Small fee plus towing.....

 

[Mudsport96]

Other than noise, what are the symptoms?

Is it possible it could be the front of the transfer case making noise, and its traveling to the transmission?

 

[Rocket Man]

I did mine in my driveway. I’m 62 and have some back issues. It’s not super hard but I recommend a trans jack so you can adjust the angle of the trans when you go to mate it up to the engine- it needs to align perfect so you don’t mess anything up and you can’t pull it into place with the bolts- it has to push perfectly flush onto the dowels. The truck has to be fairly high in order to roll the trans out while it sits on the jack. Don’t use the little wimpy jack stands or you won’t be able to get it out from under there. Take your time, don’t expect to get it pulled or installed in one shot. Do half one day, another half the next day for both removing and installing. Or even 1/3 at a time. It’s not easy laying on your back working overhead.

 

[Rocket Man]

Oh, and the transfer case is hard. You can’t use a jack, you have to bench press it and it’s about 65-75 lbs I believe. To install it you’ll have to push it under there, then slide in on your back, maneuver it onto your chest and then bench it up until you can get one end resting on the cross member and then maneuver it into place. That might be the hardest part. If you don’t think you can do that, I suggest paying to have it done.

 

[Fjs0001]

When I bought my Escalade, the previous owner told me they had just had the transmission rebuilt (90 Day warranty) and if I had any problems to contact him. He also gave me the shop's contact info. I started having torque convertor shudder after a few days. I checked my fluid and coolant was leaking into the transmission. I'm guessing that killed the previous transmission and they didn't realize it. I called the rebuilder and they had disappeared. Fortunately, the guy I bought the Escalade from gave me $300 back.

I spent waaaay to much time and money on ATF flushing that transmission out. I did a few mods and was able to get another year out of the transmission before it burnt up. I knew I was on borrowed time, so I started collecting everything I needed to do a 4L80e swap.

You might want to compare your local rebuilder prices with Monster Transmissions and Mad Dog Transmissions.

 

[Mudsport96]

When I bought my Escalade, the previous owner told me they had just had the transmission rebuilt (90 Day warranty) and if I had any problems to contact him. He also gave me the shop's contact info. I started having torque convertor shudder after a few days. I checked my fluid and coolant was leaking into the transmission. I'm guessing that killed the previous transmission and they didn't realize it. I called the rebuilder and they had disappeared. Fortunately, the guy I bought the Escalade from gave me $300 back.

I spent waaaay to much time and money on ATF flushing that transmission out. I did a few mods and was able to get another year out of the transmission before it burnt up. I knew I was on borrowed time, so I started collecting everything I needed to do a 4L80e swap.

You might want to compare your local rebuilder prices with Monster Transmissions and Mad Dog Transmissions.

Personal experience with mad dog transmission. ( CAVEAT that it was 15 years ago) 4l60e worked great for a month and a half then no second gear. Called them up and explained issue. The first thing they asked was the name of the shop that installed the transmission.
Told them it was done by myself.
Reply was then the warranty is null because a trained tech didnt install it.
Didnt argue, it was a buddys truck and he wasnt wasting his time because he needed it. He took it to the rebuilder i use and the guy went through it out of curiosity of the "name brand rebuild company". The way John described the parts that were used he seemed surprised it worked at all. And the failure was due to the tab for the 2-4 band shearing off and not letting the servo stop the drum. Most likely inaccurate clearance combined with excessive pump pressure was his diagnosis.

Now that was 15 years ago. It is well possible they have rectified their issues. But be informed before purchasing.

 

[Rocket Man]

Personal experience with mad dog transmission. ( CAVEAT that it was 15 years ago) 4l60e worked great for a month and a half then no second gear. Called them up and explained issue. The first thing they asked was the name of the shop that installed the transmission.
Told them it was done by myself.
Reply was then the warranty is null because a trained tech didnt install it.
Didnt argue, it was a buddys truck and he wasnt wasting his time because he needed it. He took it to the rebuilder i use and the guy went through it out of curiosity of the "name brand rebuild company". The way John described the parts that were used he seemed surprised it worked at all. And the failure was due to the tab for the 2-4 band shearing off and not letting the servo stop the drum. Most likely inaccurate clearance combined with excessive pump pressure was his diagnosis.

Now that was 15 years ago. It is well possible they have rectified their issues. But be informed before purchasing.

Any trans builder that voids the warranty because it was installed by someone who actually cares instead of a shop is a builder I would stay away from. I bought mine from Performabuilt (who builds performance transmissions only or I would have recommended them for this instance) and they stood behind their warranty on mine even after it expired by a year and I broke the output shaft because I used RTV on the pan gasket which kept the servos from releasing. All it cost me was shipping and they completely rebuilt it. I’m running AWD with a cam and blower and I’m h a r d on a 4l60e. If a company is looking for any excuse to void a warranty, stay away. BTW Performabuilt includes installation instructions geared toward the average mechanic. There are a couple things they state they won’t cover if you mess up, like a bound pump for instance, but that’s clearly stated and the instructions tell you exactly how to install it correctly.